The Supreme Court of Chile is asking Australia to extradite Adriana Rivas, the woman accused of involvement in torture and murder during the military dictatorship period of 1973-1990 in Chile. She was an intelligent agent for her country’s secret police, and is now wanted for her role in the murder of a Community Party leader in 1976.

Ms Rivas was the assistant of Manuel Contreras, the head of the Direccion de Inteligencia National (DINA) during General Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorial reign.

In 1978, she moved to Australia, but was detained in 2006 during a visit to Chile. When she was released some months later on probation, she had escaped to Australia. And now Chile wants her back, and it isn’t clear ot the public if Australia would give in.

The Attorney-General Department has declined to comment on the extradition request.

“It is the longstanding policy of the Australian government not to disclose whether or not it has made or received an extradition request before a person is arrested or brought before a court in accordance with such a request,” the department said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press on Friday.

In an exclusive interview with SBS in 2013, Ms Rivas insisted she was innocent of the charges, but had also defended Chile’s use of torture at that time.

“Everyone knew they had to do that to somehow break people’s silence... Let’s talk about the things the way they were. It was necessary.”

She continued, “It was the same as what the Nazis used, do you understand? It was necessary. And do you think that the U.S. does not do the same? The whole world does it. Silent, underground, but they do it. This is the only way to break the people. Because psychologically, there is no method. There isn’t an injection – like in the movies – to make you tell the truth. It doesn’t exist.”